


Cantata

by sharkiesketches



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Music, Angst, Cellist Georgenotfound, Classical Music, College, Dadza, Depression, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mild Trauma, No beta we die like Dream to an instant death potion, Philza needs a vacation, Pining, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Singer Dream, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts, Tommy is a trumpet idk what to tell you, Tommyinnit is a danger to society, Unrequited Love?, Violinist Sapnap, maybe? - Freeform, oh my god they were roommates, vocal rest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 10:20:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28469685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkiesketches/pseuds/sharkiesketches
Summary: (n.) A choral work that uses solo voices with an instrumental (usually orchestral) accompaniment. A cantata is generally a choral work of some length that also uses solo voices, usually with instrumental accompaniment. The texts used may be sacred or secular. Some cantatas use solo voices without chorus or choir.Music scholars Clay and George set out on two very different paths.Clay is a vocalist, confident in his work and carving his own path.George is a cello prodigy, forced to meet his parent’s expectations.How will their paths meet, and what will grow from it?Aka. me projecting my own musical struggles and insecurities on charactersTags will be updated as the work progresses.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs & Sapnap, Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Kudos: 12





	Cantata

**Author's Note:**

> Not the most exciting chapter, I know, but it's a start.
> 
> Also, I am bad at writing dialogue. Oops.  
> I was going to write a bit more but I got tired and it was like 5:30 AM.
> 
> Please read the notes at the end :)

Cold air wafted through the vents, settling around the cramped space that Clay currently called home. Cracking open a sensitive eye, he took in his surroundings. Dust particles drifted in front of his field of vision, the aged drywall illuminated by the light creeping in through the blinds. The small room wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, but it was definitely more cramped than what the tall blonde was used to. Despite having been here for over a year now, Clay still found himself hitting his head on the lower door frames, tripping over storage boxes on the floor, and stubbing his toes when rounding tight corners. One would think that apartment style living would be more manageable, but it was still the same hell you would experience in a shared single dorm. 

Displeased with the prospect of getting out of bed, Clay threw an arm over his face and groaned. One thing to be noted about the dorms is that the temperature control was atrocious. The temperature was always fluctuating, heat traveling through the apartments and being replaced with a chilly draft only a few moments later. Currently, Clay's room was being invaded by a blast of cold air, the source located right above the bed, causing the blonde to seek shelter underneath the covers. 

Just as he was about to drift back to sleep, Clay heard footsteps outside his room. Tensing underneath the sheets as they neared, he briefly wondered whether his roommate was going to barge in demanding that he wake up, or allow him a couple spare minutes to lie in bed. Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, it was the former. Hearing the bedroom door open, Clay whined and rolled over, tightening his grip on the blankets and retreating further into his makeshift cocoon. 

"Dream, you have to get up," A muffled voice said, words obscured by layers of blankets. 

"It's too early and too cold, let me go back to sleep," Clay mumbled, shifting to become more comfortable. "Besides, not all of us can wake up at the ass crack of dawn like you do Sap."

Clay never had any problems living with Nick, better known as Sapnap. In fact, it had always been his plan to room with the brunette. They became friends in middle school through an online forum, interacting with each other through their various devices until they fell into a familiar rhythm. For the longest time they talked to each other every day, messing around on a game or just sitting and talking in their VC. The duo got along famously, their dynamic working like a well-oiled machine in both their studies and their domestic lives. More often than not you could find them helping each other with their studies. The first time they met each other in person after graduating high school, the two boys had immediately gravitated towards each other like a moth drawn to flame. Without a second thought, they both applied and decided on the same college, L’Manburg College of the Arts, with plans to room with each other. 

"Well I'm sorry you sleep twice the amount any normal person would," Sapnap retorted. "Besides, I don't think you want to deal with Techno talking your ear off after you miss his dad's lecture and show up asking for the notes _again_." 

"I hate that you're right." 

"I'm always right." Sapnap grinned.

Clay scoffed, rolling his eyes at the suggestion.

“Tell that to Philza, then we’ll talk,” Clay fired back. 

“Hey!” Sapnap squawked, “You know what, I was going to be nice but now you deserve it.”  


Clay’s eyes widened at the implications. 

“Wait, Sap, please. Let’s talk abou-”  


Sapnap roughly grabbed the edge of the covers and yanked on them hard enough to loosen from Clay’s grip and fall to the floor. 

“Saaaaaaaap,” Clay whined, curling in on himself to try and savor whatever warmth was left. “It’s so cold, and now I have to make my bed from scratch, you monster!” 

“Maybe you should have gotten up the first time I told you to. Your mistake.” Sapnap shrugged, exiting the room.

Clay grumbled to himself for a minute before forcing himself out of bed and picking up the blankets covering the floor. Throwing the blankets haphazardly back on the bed, he began to start his daily routine. Making the bed, checking the notifications on his phone, getting dressed, watering the small plants that sat on his window sill. Clay found solitude in his morning routine, mindlessly going through the actions to start his day. His favorite thing had to be picking out what he was going to wear. It was the first decision he made every morning and ultimately setting the mood for the day. 

Today, he was wearing a pair of black faded jeans, his favorite green hoodie with a white t-shirt underneath, and a black beanie with a white smile embroidered on it. The weather was starting to shift, the mornings grew colder and the crisp air always stung his skin. During his first year of attending L’Manburg, Clay decided to invest in some warmer clothing and his style soon shifted with the new articles being added to his wardrobe. 

Making his way to the bathroom, Clay quickly brushed his teeth, fixed his hair and splashed some water on his face. He never got really into skincare, unlike Sapnap who owned an array of moisturizers, cleansing lotions and products Clay hadn’t even heard of outside of his sisters ramblings. He was perfectly content washing his face once a day and calling it quits, a little acne never hurt anyone. 

A half hour after this initial conversation, he found himself wandering into the small kitchen area that he and Sapnap shared. It was connected to a living space which had a couch, a coffee table, and a small bookshelf with room for a TV. Clay passed the kitchen island where Sapnap was sitting and reached into the fridge, grabbing the carton of apple juice and pouring himself a glass. 

“You ready for Philza’s lecture today?” Clay asked in between sips of his drink.

Sapnap groaned, “You know how boring his lectures are, and who the hell decided to hold class at 7 AM? That should be illegal.”

“And you make fun of me for wanting to sleep in.” Clay raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress a smirk.

“There is a difference between waking up and paying attention to whatever the hell Philza does in class,” Sapnap replied easily, “Besides, you’re the one always falling asleep during the lectures and having to ask for notes. I may have trouble paying attention but at least I can stay awake.” 

“Fine, don’t complain to me about it later though.” Turning back to the sink where he rinsed out his glass and put it in the empty dishwasher. “Have you eaten anything yet?”

“Nah, I was waiting for you to get your ass out of bed.” 

“You just wanted me to cook for you,” Clay smirked. 

“...Maybe.” 

Clay sighed, pulling a pan out of one of the bottom drawers and opening the refrigerator for the second time that morning. 

“How does eggs and toast sound?”

  
  


___

  
  


It took the duo about a half hour to finish breakfast, eating as fast as possible before cleaning their plates and rushing to get out the door. Clay had grabbed his bag, shoved his arms through his winter coat, and slipped into his beat up converse. Sapnap was close behind, putting on a pair of vans and a jacket before following Clay out the door, both almost forgetting to lock it. Now the two are walking down the hallways of one of the old buildings where lectures took place. 

“How many disruptions do you think Tommy is going to make today?” Sapnap asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had grown between them.

“Too many to bother counting,” Clay snickered. 

“Aw come on Dream, you’re no fun,” Sapnap whined, “I think it’s going to be at least 15.”

“With the way it’s been going recently? I wouldn’t be surprised,” Clay chuckled. “At least Tubbo is there to talk him down a bit. I don’t want to think about how chaotic it would be without him holding Tommy back.” 

“Tubbo is literally the only thing keeping Philza from going insane at this point. It used to be funny, now it’s just sad.” 

Clay solemnly nodded in agreement. As much as he hated Philza’s lectures, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man. Dealing with Tommy on a daily basis is a full time job in itself. To have to teach a class of 100 plus students at the same time? The thought alone made Clay shiver in discomfort. He had no idea how Philza had managed to stay sane for so long, and at this point he’s too afraid to ask. 

Eventually, he and Sapnap settled into the lecture hall, taking their seats nearing the back of the room as usual. Taking out their notebooks and setting themselves up for class, Clay noticed something in the corner of his vision. A boy with dark hair and wearing a blue hoodie. A face he had never seen before. 

One thing about this class that Clay enjoyed was that he knew everyone, at least on a surface level. Philza’s unconventional lecture style led him to interact with everyone in his class at least once. So who was this boy in the blue hoodie? 

  
  


____

  
  


Curiosity had been nagging at Clay throughout the entire lecture, leaving him unable to concentrate on the information being presented. His mind kept wandering back to the brunette sitting across the aisle. He hadn’t done much during the period. He simply sat and took notes, his face contorting into a perplexed expression every once and a while when something seemed to confuse him. Otherwise he simply blended in with the rest of the class. Did Clay just never meet him? Has he been in this class the entire time? Or did he transfer from another school. 

Clay was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand roughly shaking his shoulder. 

“Hey, are you good? I knew you were tired but you’re all spacey,” Sapnap said, looking down at his friend, a worried expression plastered on his face. For a second, Clay simply sat there staring back at Sapnap before he snapped out of his stupor. 

“Oh, um... Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it,” Clay replied. 

Sapnap looked at him a second longer before sighing 

“Ok dude,” Sapnap resigned. “But you’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”

“Of course,” Clay whispered, eyes drifting back in the direction of the brunette, only to find he was gone. 

Strange.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Everyone!!! Thank you so much for reading Cantata! This chapter was almost 2K long which is ABSOLUTELY CRAZY!!
> 
> I've been talking about this idea for a while, and it's taken me a long time to plan everything out. I'm really happy to finally be sharing this! I haven't written everything out yet, it's still a work in progress, but I'm going to power through it! (And I am sorry if it is hard to read at some points, I am not a very skilled writer, and I'm not super comfy having someone beta this for me so we're just gonna suffer a little bit). 
> 
> As far as updates go, it's going to be interesting. I don't have a clear upload schedule put in place. I'm working on my college applications and I have a lot of stuff going on right now so unfortunately weekly updates won't be possible. I'm really sorry about that. I'm hoping I will be able to create a more consistent work schedule once I have my college applications out of the way.
> 
> I am going to try making some art to go along with the chapters of this AU, but I won't be including/attaching the art in the chapter itself because I know it makes the formatting all weird on mobile and it's kind of annoying. Instead all of the art is going to be posted on my twitter! my handle is @sharkiesketches and I hope to see some of you over there! 
> 
> Please do not share this fic with the ccs. Fic mentions in donations is distracting, and honestly just makes me uncomfortable. If they find it on their own I'm not going to do anything about it (unless they want it taken down or something) but I don't want this shoved in their faces. This is just a project that I want to enjoy working on. So please please PLEASE don't go out of your way to tell them about it. 
> 
> (Also I know this is tagged as dnf but I don't think I'm going to really push for anything more than a platonic relationship between them. If it happens naturally then so be it but please do not expect a dnf endgame, thanks).


End file.
